Sync and privacy

Pinwork does not require a Pinwork account. Your tasks live on your device and sync through your private iCloud database when iCloud is available.

There are no Pinwork servers for your task data.

Where your data is stored

Pinwork stores tasks, projects, tags, checklist items, ordering, and app metadata in a local Core Data store on your device.

Production device builds use Apple’s CloudKit-backed Core Data syncing through your private iCloud database.

The CloudKit container is owned by the app, but the records live in your private iCloud scope.

How iCloud sync works

Sync runs automatically.

When you save changes, Core Data exports those local changes to CloudKit. Changes from other devices are imported by Apple’s CloudKit system on its own schedule.

Pinwork listens for remote change notifications, refreshes the local view context, and asks open task, project, and tag screens to reload from the store.

CloudKit import timing is controlled by Apple. Pinwork can refresh local data that has already arrived, but it cannot force iCloud to download instantly.

Offline behavior

Pinwork works offline.

The local store remains the source of truth for the current device while you are offline. You can keep creating, editing, completing, and organizing tasks.

Pending changes export when iCloud is available again.

If iCloud is unavailable, busy, rate limited, signed out, not authenticated, or out of quota, sync diagnostics can show a user-facing message. Sync retries are left to the system.

Sync diagnostics

Open Settings and the Sync section to see:

status
iCloud account status
last Cloud activity
last checked time
last error
Check Sync Status

Status labels can include Ready, Checking, Recent activity, or Needs attention.

Check Sync Status can save pending local changes and refresh local data that has already been imported. It cannot force an instant iCloud download.

If the iCloud account is signed out, sync is paused. Sign in to iCloud and restart Pinwork.

Conflict behavior

Pinwork does not show a field-by-field conflict resolver.

Core Data merges background changes into the main app context, and open views reload from the store after remote sync notifications.

If the same task changes on multiple devices, recover by editing the task again, using local undo where available, or restoring from Archive where that applies.

Preference sync

Most preferences live in local device settings.

Selected preferences sync separately through iCloud Key-Value Storage, including:

GTD mode
completion behavior
auto rollover
Calendar Peek
linked calendar event visibility
upcoming time range
onboarding completion and version
starter project version and ID

Some settings stay local or App Group based, including many device-specific flags, Spotlight controls, deep-link related state, and widget settings.

Apple Reminders import

Pinwork can import selected Apple Reminders lists into Pinwork projects.

The import is one-way. Pinwork reads the Reminders lists you choose and does not change, delete, complete, or keep syncing Apple Reminders.

Imported reminders become normal Pinwork tasks. After import, those tasks are stored locally in Pinwork and sync through Pinwork’s private iCloud data when iCloud is available.

See Import Apple Reminders for the full import workflow and field mapping.

App Group data for extensions

Widgets, Shortcuts, Share Extension, Focus Filters, and Live Activity controls need small shared payloads so they can work outside the main app.

Pinwork stores these payloads in the shared App Group container.

Shared data can include:

widget snapshot
widget, App Intent, and share action queue
intent task index
share metadata cache
widget settings
cached entitlement state
pending Live Activity completion ID
pending intent navigation
Focus Filter state

The widget snapshot includes a lightweight Today summary and task rows with fields such as ID, title, When, Deadline, priority, overdue state, and completed state.

The intent task index includes incomplete task IDs, titles, optional scheduled dates, and overdue state.

The share metadata cache includes active project names, project colors, tag names, and tag colors.

Spotlight search

Pinwork can index active tasks into system Spotlight search.

Spotlight indexing is on by default and local to the device.

Indexed fields can include:

task title
notes as content description
tags
keywords such as inbox, today, waiting, someday, and maybe
task deep link URL
creation date
modification date

Done and Canceled tasks are removed from the Spotlight index. Apple Watch does not index tasks.

In Settings, you can disable Spotlight indexing, rebuild the index, or clear the Pinwork Spotlight index.

App privacy

Pinwork declares no collected data types and no tracking in its app privacy manifests.

This applies to the native Pinwork targets:

main app
widgets
Apple Watch app
Watch widgets
Share Extension

This page describes app privacy. The marketing website is separate from the app and may have its own website analytics disclosure.

Reset and recovery

Reset Local Data can appear on the database recovery screen if the local store fails to load. It deletes this device’s local store files for recovery. If CloudKit is enabled and iCloud data exists, data may sync back after recovery.

Do not use Reset Local Data as account deletion. It is local database recovery.

Getting started: basic storage and sync model.
At a glance: widgets and extension surfaces.
Apple Watch: Watch local store and best-effort sync.
Calendar: Calendar permission and linked events.

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